If you’re expecting your first baby and you’re starting to think about the products you need to buy then I’m sure you’ve already realised what a minefield it is! There’s so much stuff! And so many products that are almost the same but just a little bit different. Tiny babies surely don’t need all this …
Alton Towers is a place of childhood dreams so we were really excited to take our kids there last week. After a long and difficult summer, it was the perfect treat before our kids went back to school! But, like many of you, we did have some reservations about visiting Alton Towers during the COVID-19 …
Bristol is one of the UK’s most vibrant and creative cities, with plenty to offer a weekend visitor. It’s full of history, bright street art and mirror-like canals that reflect candy-coloured houses and intriguing architecture. For families, there’s plenty to explore: the Aquarium is a deep blue treasure trove of learning and fun, the SS …
Today’s Hidden Gem has been sent in by Jessica Friend from The Weekend Tourist as she’d like to share more about The Rollright Stones, a hidden gem in Oxfordshire and the county’s answer to Stonehenge! The Rollright Stones are always the first place that I take anyone who might be visiting us – …
Take a look at these photos below and see if you can guess their locations. Go on, I’ll give you a minute. No cheating and scrolling down! I’ll know if you cheat 😉 If you’re anything like me, you’d probably guess that these photos were taken in far flung, exotic destinations. The kind …
Have you heard the theory that it takes 21 days to form a new habit? There’s evidence to support the theory that you can form a new habit by doing it consistently for 21 days but, to be honest, there’s just as much evidence to say it takes longer. Some studies suggest …
Have you heard about Blue Zones? Blue Zones are areas in the world where people live considerably longer than average. A few years ago I had to do a lot of research into the world’s Blue Zones for a project I was working on for a client. After that I became a …
Welcome to the first in a series of blog posts about the UK’s hidden gems. I don’t know about you, but since lockdown began I’ve discovered so many local hidden gems. My local area has even more to offer than I imagined! I’ve asked some top bloggers to share some of their favourite hidden gems …
Now is a great time to be organising your travel photos and finding some kind of storage and display solution for all those gorgeous travel memories. So many people have memory cards, hard drives and phones filled with photos that will never see the light of day again because they’re hidden away in a chaotic …
Stretching along India’s south-west corner on the tropical Malabar Coast, boasting everything from expansive coastline and picturesque backwaters to exotic nature and rich heritage, Kerala is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful states in India. Kerala has been a popular place for travellers for years thanks to its scenic beauty and loads of activities available. …
Today Anne shares her review from Yab Yum Resort in Goa, India. So secret is Yab Yum Resort, there are no roadside signs indicating its existence. Even the main gate has no sign, nor does the beach pathway indicate that you have arrived at your destination. Like the Illuminati, it seems this place wants …
Experiencialism is probably something you’ve come across already, but might not have seen it called this. Experiencialism is the thought that experiences make us happier than possessions. If you have a Pinterest account then you’ve probably already seen a billion quotes and posters with this message! If you’re an experiencialist you prioritise experiences over things. …
I’ve finally written this post after lots of requests by my fellow travel bloggers who are having babies or thinking about having children in the future. There are lots of bloggers who love their career, but can’t see how they could maintain their business and travel lifestyle if they had a baby. Everyone likes to …
Last week I had the pleasure of staying at Abbey Hotel Bath and spending some time in this beautiful city. I’d been invited by the hotel to celebrate World Sleep Day and stay in one of their newly renovated boutique bedrooms. What better place to get a good night’s sleep than between crisp, luxury …
One of the best things about blogging is the way you attract a tribe of like-minded people. Of course, there’s always a few people who seem to read each post just to disagree with every thought I have (internet trolls, I’m talking to you!) but on the whole most people are really similar to me. …
It’s just over four years ago that I found out I was pregnant with George. Four years! Most people say time flies when you have kids, but I find the opposite. I don’t mean it drags but taking that pregnancy test four years ago feels like a different lifetime! I can’t even imagine my life …
It’s day 3 of Podmas and today’s prompt was: I’ve learned xyz about myself this year You can read day 1 here: The best advice I’ve ever been given And day 2 here: Being honest online Today’s prompt was another difficult one and I really had to sit down and think about it. What have …
Yes, you read that right! A pregnancy update! If you missed it on Instagram, I recently announced we’re having our third baby! I’m pregnant with Baby #3! I should really get out of the habit of calling it Number 3 because I have a feeling that name will stick…a little like The Umbrella Academy …
I had high hopes for writing weekly pregnancy updates since I shared the news we’re expecting our third baby. I thought I’d be sharing all the nitty gritty details, the highs, the lows and everything in between. I thought I would have written pages of pregnancy updates already but here we are with the 16 …
In just a matter of months I’ll be having my third baby so it’s only natural I’m beginning to think about giving birth and birth stories! During my first two pregnancies I loved reading other women’s birth stories and relished in the gory details – both positive and negative. I’m a firm believer that the …
In October I’m expecting my third baby and my mind is already turning to my self-employed maternity leave. It isn’t easy to manage maternity leave when you work for yourself but I did OK with my first two babies and plan to do something similar again. I took my maternity leave the opposite way around …
For some people, a 27 week pregnancy update might seem like a random week to choose but the 27 week mark has always been a momentous milestone for me. I don’t want to be morbid here but the survival rate for babies born at 27 weeks suddenly increases (I think it’s due to lung development). …
I was going to write a 36 week pregnancy update today. Yes, that’s right – 36 weeks! But then I realised not a lot has changed since my 27 week pregnancy update which, weirdly, feels like about 3 days ago. One update I do have is that I’m all booked in for my cesarean. I’ve …
Next week I’ll be going into hospital for my third elective cesarean. I’ve written a lot of packing posts for The Travel Hack but, unsurprisingly, this is my first packing post for going into hospital! Despite it being my third cesarean I’ve still loved reading blog posts, watching YouTube videos and trawling the internet looking …
This post contains affiliate links. I have a confession to make today. I am an Amazon Prime addict. I order something via Amazon Prime almost everyday. I know, I think that sounds bad when I say it out loud too, but I’m not a crazy shopaholic, honest! It’s always stuff we need and I …
You may have seen that I’ve set myself a challenge to create 31 new blog posts. I had this wonderful vision of writing a new blog post every day but it’s taken me an entire week to get this one live! So I guess lesson number one should be that you don’t get a lot …
If you’re expecting a baby then I’m sure you’ll feel a little overwhelmed at some point when you start thinking about all the things you need to do, buy, read, prepare and learn! I’m expecting my third baby and I’m having moments of panic when I think about it! It’s an absolute minefield trying to …
When we released The Travel Hack Backpack we also created a gorgeous matching Travel Hack Packing Cube. The packing cube can be used to neatly organise your bag and the handy compression zip can also reduce the size by up to 33%! The idea for the packing cube came about for three reasons: To avoid …
Today’s blog post is coming from Australia and is in collaboration with Tastes of the Hunter Wine Tours. Suzanne Sheldon shares all of her insider tips about Hunter Valley wine tours! If you’re looking for a Hunter Valley wine tour and you’re not sure which one to choose then Suzanne has some great tips to …
Last year I wrote a list of all the things I wanted to do with the boys throughout the year. It was mostly ideas for days out so we wouldn’t waste our weekends trying to decide what to do. I pinned the list to our family notice board in the kitchen and I’d scan through …
It’s been two weeks since I posted an update on The Travel Hack and, wow, what a difference two weeks made! It feels like we’re all holding our breath as our world has been turned upside down by Coronavirus. We’re living in a semi-frozen state of panic, scared to leave our homes, scared to talk …
If you’re looking for a book to lose yourself in then I have just the book for you. It’s one of those you can really get your teeth into. The kind of book you’ll pick up and suddenly hours have passed while you’ve been absorbed between the pages, lost in a world where the characters …
If you follow my Instagram stories you will have seen that I recently did a shout out for blog post ideas. I have this problem where I sway between having so many ideas, so much inspiration and so much excitement to create new posts that I actually don’t create anything. I want to do it …
If you haven’t heard about the Totseat yet, let me explain. The Totseat is a portable highchair that you can strap to most chairs. It’s a fabric harness that keeps your little one securely on a chair without you needing to hold them. It can be squished into a small bag and is machine …
Urgh, blogoversary. Sorry, that’s a horrible word isn’t it. But it’s been 10 years since I began blogging and left the UK as a fresh-faced 21 year old, ready to explore the world. I remember getting on that plane to Hong Kong like it was yesterday. ^All packed and ready to go! This photo was …
Today’s blog post about things to do in Taipei, Taiwan, is written by travel and culture writer Jessica Chen. So you’re going to Taipei and you’ve just hit enter in Google for “things to do in Taipei, Taiwan.” Congrats! You found the perfect bucket list for things to do in Taipei! Taipei is …
I’m not sure when it happened but did you know that the Lake District has become a real foodie destination? With gastro pubs aplenty as well as stylish cafes and fancy hotel restaurants, the Lake District has a lot to offer when it comes to foodie temptations. The Lake district is undeniably one of the …
This is sponsored by e-visa.co.uk Did you know that if you’re visiting Canada you’ll probably need to apply for an eTA Canada before you travel? It’s an Electronic Travel Authorization and is basically a permit for you to enter the country and is an online substitute for a visa. It’s something I forget about nearly …
This is a question I’m asked about all the time so I thought it was finally time I addressed it in a blog post! When people realise that a big part of the job for many (not all) travel bloggers and journalists is attending press trips, people always ask, ‘So what happens when you go …
It’s been 7 weeks now and I still haven’t got round to properly introducing you to my baby boy. Introducing someone to your baby for the first time is a weird thing because you really want to jump up and down and clap your hands like a seal and squeal, ‘Oh my goodness, come and …